ADDRESS 


ON.    ^PHILIP 


OACH, 


THREE     HUNDRED    AND    EIGHTY-FIFTH    ANNIVERSARY     OF 
THE  DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA  BY  COLUMBUS. 
OCTOBER  12,  1492. 

DELIVERED  AT  SOUTH  SAN  FRANCISCO  PARK,  OCTOBER  14,  1877, 

BY  INVITATION  OF  THE  ITALIAN  POPULATION  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


SAN     FRANCISCO: 

W.   M.  Hinton  &  (Company,   Printers,  536  <$lay  Street. 

1877- 


With  Compliments  of 


PHILIP    A.   ROACH, 

Of  the  SAN  FRANCISCO  EXAMINES. 


GRAND    MARSHAL. 

J.  F.  FUGAZI. 

CHIEF    AIDS. 

Capt.  Baker,  Angelo  Noce,  H.  I.  Fisher,  John  A.  McLaughlin,  G.  Bovo, 

F.  Giovannini,  Andrea  Sburboro,  E.  M.  darken, 

M.  J.  Walsh,  J.  E.  Cureton,  B.  Sarti. 

AIDS. 

A.  Corduri,  A.  Mazza,   L.  Focacci,  A.  Focacc-,  G.  Marselli,  F.  Raffo,  G. 

B.  Ghiozzi,  L.  Gardella,  D.  Paravagiia,  G.  Pera,  Vittorio  Tachini, 

G.  Demartini,  B.  Santuilosci,  F.  Orsi,  D.  Dalporto, 

E.  Menesini,  A.  Belli,  G.  Baltron,  A. 

Merici,  G.  Constantino, 
L.  Paolucci,  Fiori  Frugolli,  S.  Giovannini. 

FIRST    DIVISION. 

Marshal — Luigi  Bacigalupo. 
AIDS — G.  Equi,  G.  Caglieri. 

BAND — Lometti. 

Escort— German  Eifles,  Capt.  Wm.  Brockhoff. 

Barouche — Containing  the  Orator  of  the  Day,  Hon.  P.  A.  Eoach;  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Day,  Mr.  G.  Cuneo;  Mr.  S.  Antoldi,  Poet,  and  Judge  Ferral. 
Barouche — Containing  the  President  of  the  Garibaldi  Guard.  M.  V.  Eavenna, 

with  the  Civil  Administration. 

Barouche — Containing  the  reprt- sentatives  of  the  Mutual  Benevolent  Associa 
tion,  Mr.  G.  Sala,  President. 

SECOND    DIVISION. 

Marshal — A.  Quilici. 
AIDS — O.  Menesini,  IT.  Bertini. 

BAND— San  Francisco. 
Barouche — Containing  Messrs.  L.  Ghilardi,  M.  Perpoli,  P.  Canepa,  and 

E.  E.  Palmieri,  officers  of  the  Gardeners'  Association. 
Triumphal   Car,  representing  the  Goddess  of  Agriculture, 

Miss  Louisa  Arata. 

Fishermen's  Association— Triumphal  Car,  representing  the  Santa  Maria,  with 
the  allegoric  figure  of  Christopher  Columbus,  in  costume  of  that  age, 

D.Mengolo,  President. 

Garibaldi  Guard— Capt.  G.  Malatesta. 

Italians  in  carriages  and  on  foot. 


BANCROFT  LIBRARY 

ADDRESS 


OF    THE 


HON.  PHILIP  A.  ROACH 

ON    THE 

THREE  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-FIFTH  ANNIVERSARY^ 

OF    THE 

DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA  BY  COLUMBUS. 

DELIVERED  OCTOBER  14.  1877, 

AT 

SOUTH     SAN    FftANCISCO    PARK, 

BY    INVITATION    OF    THE    ITALIAN    POPULATION    OF    SAN    FRANCISCO, 


LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN, — 

The  concourse  assembled  here  to-day  is  actuated  by  u 
spirit  of  gratitude  towards  the  memory  of  ope  of  Italy's  noblest 
sons.  Prolific  as  she  has  been  in  poets,  heroes,  philosophers  and 
sages,  no  name  in  her  annals,  nor  in  those  of  other  lands,  has 
attained  a  higher  place,  as  a  benefactor  of  mankind,  throughout 
the  civilized  world,  than  that  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

Every  nation  honors  itself  by  commemorating  the  achievements 
of  those  who  have  rendered  important  services  to  their  respective 
peoples.  And  various  nations  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the 
birth-day  of  their  great  men,  with  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  which 
finds  a  response  in  the  most  distant  regions,  where  members  of 
the  nationality  are  scattered. 

Such  commemorative  demonstrations  have  their  origin  in  the  no 
blest  impulses  of  the  human  heart.  They,  are  the  expressions  of 
gratitude  for  benefits  conferred  upon  humanity,  which  prompt 
emulation  of  noble  deeds.  Low  in  the  scale  of  civilization  must  be 
the  people  who  fail  to  recognize  the  benefits  received  from  the 


[     2     ] 

teachings  and  examples  of  their  heroes,  statesmen,  philosophers 
and  benefactors. 

NATIONAL    SPIRIT 

Will  achieve  national  greatness  and  elevate  character,  when  the 
people,  on  occasions  like  the  one  which  has  brought  together  this 
intelligent  audience,  assemble  in  their  native  or  adopted  homes, 
to  honor  the  memory  of  their  countrymen  distinguished  for  the 
performance  of  deeds  beneficial  to  humanity. 

The  anniversary  we  celebrate  to-day  is  one  in  which  all  the 
civilized  races  of  mankind  tender  to  Italy  their  earnest  sympa 
thies.  Columbus  gave  not  a  new  world  alone  to  "  Castile  and 
Leon," — he  gave  it  to  mankind.  The  new  world  which  he  dis 
covered  has  become  the  abode  of  representatives  of  all  the  known 
races. 

CENTURIES    OF    IMMIGRATION. 

During  nearly  four  centuries  Europe  has  been  sending  her 
active  and  enterprising  sons  to  find  their  homes  on  her  hospita 
ble  shores.  And  at  the  present  day  three  languages — English, 
Spanish  and  Portuguese — dominate  the  vast  territory  extending 
from  Alaska  to  Patagonia,  and  from  Baffin's  Bay  to  Cape  Horn. 
In  the  interval  of  centuries  the  New  World  has  poured  into  the 
Old  her  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones;  and 
now,  within  a  few  years  of  the  close  of  the  fourth  century  since 
the  discovery,  the  annual  yield  of  the  precious  metals  has  not 
decreased  in  volume.  These  productions  have  developed  the 
manufactures  and  commerce  of  the  entire  globe.  The  warlike 
spirit  of  the  15th  century  has  been  gradually  changed  for  com 
mercial  and  scientific  enterprises,  and  the  older  continent  has 
been  enabled  to  support  in  abundance  four-fold  a  larger  popula 
tion  than  it  did  in  the  days  of  Columbus.  Great  as  has  been  the 
value  of 

THE    TREASURES 

America  has  given  to  the  older  hemisphere,  her  soil  has  yielded 
products  more  valuable  than  her  diamonds,  her  silver  or  her  gold. 
The  Missionary  Fathers  discovered  in  her  forests  that  precious 
bark  called  Cinchona,  which  has  saved  millions  of  the  human 
race  from  the  jaws  of  death.  Other  trees  have  yielded  the  pre 
cious  balsams  which  have  proved  specifics  against  various  diseases. 
And  from  her  fields,  extending  nearly  from  Hudson's  Bay  on  the 


[     3     ] 

north  to  the  drear  wastes  of  Patagonia  on  the  south,  have  been 
tlrawii  the  productions  which  have  fed  and  clothed  countless 
millions  of  mankind  ;  also,  from  her  islands  has  come  that  pre 
cious  fertilizer  which  has  repaired  the  waste  of  European  culti 
vation.  Abundant  yields  of  coffee,  sugar,  wheat,  rice,  tobacco 
and  the  potato,  have  cheapened  to  the  toiling  masses  of  the  hu 
man  family  the  necessaries  of  life.  Her  prodigious  yield  of  cot 
ton,  principally  obtained  in  the  United  States  and  Brazil,  has 
clothed  about  one-half  the  members  of  the  human  family;  while 
its  manufacture  has  given  employment  to  a  few  nations,  aided  by 
machinery,  that  could  not  be  performed  by  the  manual  labor  of 
the  entire  world  unaided  by  that  agency.  To  carry  on  the  com 
merce  between  the  western  and  eastern  hemispheres,  vessels  are 
employed  of  a  tonnage  so  great  that  the  Santa  Maria,  the  admi 
ral3  s  ship,  and  the  Pinta  and  Nina  could  be  placed  upon  their 
decks  and  leave  ample  space  for  promenading. 

To-day  a  great  republic,  which  has  attained  its  100th  year  of 
existence,  and  an  empire  nearly  as  great  in  area  as  that  of  the 
United  States,  with  several  sister  republics,  attest  the  greatness 
of  the  achievement  of  Columbus.  History  will  bear  out  the 
assertion,  that  no  individual  deed  has  been  so  fraught  with  bene 
ficial  influences  to  humanity  as  that  accomplished  by  the  firm 
ness,  constancy,  and  untiring  perseverance  which  sustained 
Columbus  in  his  dreary  path  over  then  unknown  seas. 

MORAL    INFLUENCES. 

Great  as  have  been  the  material  advantages  resulting  from  the 
discovery  of  America,  the  crowning  glory  has  been  the  solving  of 
the  problem  of  man's  ability  for  self-government.  On  the  virgin 
soil  of  the  New  World  were  early  planted  the  seeds  of  civil  and 
religious  freedom,  which  rapidly  fructified  under  her  genial  skies, 
and  extended  their  benign  influence  over  Europe.  Kingly  sys 
tems  could  not  be  enforced  on  this  continent,  and  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  the  whole  region  has  thrown 
off  European  tutelage.  The  idea  which  germinated  on  the  soil 
of  America,  and  which  resisted  long  years  of  wars  to  extirpate, 
is  self-government  by  their  respective  peoples;  and  that  idea  can 
never  perish  so  long  as  its  governments  maintain  a  proper  sys 
tem  of  public  education,  and  prevent  by  proper  precautions  the 
falsification  of  the  popular  will. 

As  the  history  of  Columbus  will  give  this  audience  the  most 


[     4     ] 

correct  idea  of  his  sufferings,  services,  and  claims  to  the  grati 
tude  of  mankind,  I  shall  briefly  allude  to  the  incidents  of  his 
eventful  career. 

H"IS    EARLY    EDUCATION. 

Columbus  was  born  in  Genoa  in  1436,  of  parents  of  the  indus 
trial  class.  At  the  age  of  10  he  commenced  his  studies  at  the 
University  of  Pavia,  then  one  of  the  most  renowned  in  Europe 
for  the  learning  and  ability  of  its  professors  and  for  the  number 
of  its  students.  At  that  period  Italy  stood  pre-eminent  in  letters, 
in  the  arts,  and  sciences.  Her  poets  and  philosophers  had  opened 
new  fields  to  thought  and  speculation.  The  art  of  printing,  dis 
covered  in  1430,  had  made  giant  strides  in  diffusing*  knowledge 
by  the  publication  of  works  of  great  merit,  which  had  remained 
almost  unknown  in  the  cloisters.  The  downfall  of  the  Greek 
empire,  on  the  capture  of  Constantinople  in  1453,  forced  many 
of  the  learned  men  of  the  empire  of  Constantine,  to  seek  refuge 
in  Italy.  Their  presence  gave  a  powerful  impetus  to  literature, 
and  led  to  that  era  which  has  been  called  "  La  Renaissance,"  or 
the  revival  of  learning.  A  spirit  of  enthusiasm  was  awakened  in 
Italy  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  the  writings  of  poets 
and  philosophers  inspired  the  youth  of  that  land  with  the  most 
lofty  ideas  and  undaunted  courage  to  follow  their  suggestions. 
The  dreams  of  poets  have  often  been  proved  correct,  realized  by 
scientific  discovery.  Dante,  born  in  1265,  promulgated  in  his 
almost  heaven-inspired  work,  with  the  tongue  of  a  prophet,  the 
theory  of  the  rotundity  of  the  earth.  Nor  is  that  the  only  sug 
gestion  that  science  has  received  from  poets  to  secure  the  attain 
ment  of  what  seemed  the  impossible.  Later,  but  not  less  mem 
orable,  was  the  declaration  of  Shakspeare,  "in  40  minutes  will 
I  put  a  girdle  round  the  earth/'  now  realized  by  the  flashings  of 
thought  even  through  ocean's  depths,  from  one  continent  to  the 
other.  The  influx  of  the  learned  Greeks  into  Italy  spread  a 
knowledge  of  the  cosmography  of  the  world,  and  was  educating 
in  Italy  the  race  of  navigators  who  form  fid  that  brilliant  galaxy 
in  the  history  of  maritime  discovery,  among  whom  were  the 
brothers  Cabot  and  Amerigo  Vespucci. 

COLUMBUS   LEFT    COLLEGE 

At  the  age  of  14,  possessed  of  an  extraordinary  amount  of 
knowledge  for  his  age.  His  father  placed  him  writh  his  grand 


[     5     ] 

uncle,  who  held  a  commission  in  the  Genoese  navy,  for  Genoa 
was  then  at  war  with  Venice,  Naples  and  the  Turk.  He  spent 
twenty  years  afloat,  acquiring  by  this  severe  training,  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  seamanship,  an  acquaintance  with  the  character 
istics  of  the  sailors  of  that  time,  of  the  methods  of  managing 
them,  and  frequently  gaining  from  the  conversations  of  expe 
rienced  pilots  facts,  which,  to  his  logical  mind,  formed  a  clue  to 
solve  the  great  problem  he  had  in  contemplation.  In  1470, 
swimming  from  a  burning  galley,  one  of  the  attacking  vessels 
011  a  Venitian  fleet,  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  he  succeeded,  with 
the  assistance  of  a  spar,  in  reaching  the  shore,  and  proceeded  to 
Lisbon,  where  he  met  his  brother,  Bartolommeo,  who  was  then 
engaged  in  the  business  of  chart  making. 


THE  COURT  OF  PORTUGAL. 


After  a  few  years  residence  there,  he  married  the  daughter  of 
the  distinguished  Italian  navigator,  Palestrello,  and  at  his  death 
inherited  his  charts  and  papers  Lisbon  was  then  the  grand 
center  of  commercial  movement.  Pilots  and  sailors  who  had 
been  on  voyages  to  the  Canaries,  the  Azores,  and  African  coast, 
were  here  met  with,  and  they  recounted  many  incidents  which 
confirmed  Columbus  in  his  theories.  In  1474  the  celebrated  Ita 
lian  cosmographer,  Toscanelli,  replied  to  inquiries  from  Alfonso 
V,  sending  a  chart,  placing  the  east  coast  of  Asia  opposite  the 
west  coast  of  Africa,  with  an  ocean  of  indefinite  extent  lying 
between.  Columbus  opened  a  correspondence  with  that  vener 
able  philosopher,  who  pronounced  his  plan  of  sailing  to  the 
west  feasible.  In  1477  he  made  a  voyage  apparently  of  explora 
tion,  to  the  northwest,  LOO  leagues  beyond  Iceland,  into  latitude 
73,  where  he  was  astonished  to  find  the  sea,  so  near  the  polar 
circle,  not  frozen.  This  remained  for  a  long  period  one  of  the 
most  northerly  of  explorations.  After  his  return  he  made  a  trip 
to  the  coast  of  Guinea. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  period  when  Columbus,  having  matured 
his  plans,  made  application  to  different  governments  to  furnish 
him  the  means  of  carrying  them  out.  It  is  asserted  that  he  ap 
plied  to  Genoa  for  assistance;  but  the  Republic  was  unable  to 
grant  it.  He  then  applied  to  John  II,  king  of  Portugal,  who 
ascended  the  throne  in  1481.  This  young  monarch  had  imbibed 
the  passion  for  discovery  from  his  grand  uncle,  Prince  Henry; 


[     6     } 

and  with  his  reign  all  its  activity  revived.  At  this  period  the 
wildest  stories  prevailed  regarding  the  wealth  and  inhabitants  of 
Asia.  Impatient  of  the  slowness  with  which  his  discoveries  ad 
vanced  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  of  the  impediments  pre 
sented  to  nautical  enterprise,  the  youthful  monarch  called  in 
the  aid  of  science  to  devise  some  means  by  which  greater  cer 
tainty  might  be  given  to  navigation.  His  t\vo  physicians,  Bode- 
rigo  and  Joseph,  the  latter  an  Israelite,  the  most  able  astrono 
mers  and  cosmographers  of  his  kingdom,  together  with  Martin 
Behen,  of  Nuremberg,  entered  into  a  learned  consultation  on 
the  subject.  The  result  of  their  labor  was  the  application  of  the 
astrolabe  to  navigation,  enabling  the  seaman,  by  the  altitude  of 
the  sun,  to  ascertain  the  distance  from  the  equator.  This  instru 
ment  has  been  improved  and  modified  into  the  modern  quadrant. 
This  invention  enabled  the  mariner  to  rove  the  deep  and  to  enter 
boldly  into  unknown  seas,  confident  of  his  ability  to  retrace  his 
course  by  means  of  the  compass  and  the  astrolabe. 

Columbus,  aware  of  the  liberality  of  the  Court  of  Portugal  in 
rewarding  nautical  discovery  sought  an  audience  of  King  John 
and  proposed  to  discover  a  shorter  route  to  India  than  that  along 
the  coast  of  Africa.  His  plan  was  to  strike  directly  to  the  west 
across  the  Atlantic.  He  then  unfolded  his  hypothesis  in  regard 
to  the  extent  of  Asia,  and  of  the  immense  riches  of  the  island  of 
Cipango,  the  first  land  at  which  he  expected  to  arrive.  The  king- 
referred  the  proposition  of  Columbus  to  a  learned  Junto,  com 
posed  of  Roderigo  and  Joseph,  and  the  Bishop  of  Ceuta.  This 
scientific  body  treated  the  project  as  extravagant  and  visionary. 

A    STRATAGEM    TO    OBTAIN    HIS   PLANS. 

But  still  King  John  manifested  an  inclination  for  the  enter 
prise,  and  his  ministers  sought  by  stratagem  to  obtain  the  fruits 
of  the  labors  of  Columbus  without  acceding  to  his  terms.  Co 
lumbus  was  required  to  furnish  for  the  consideration  of  the  coun 
cil  a  detailed  plan  of  his  proposed  voyage,  with  the  charts  and 
documents  from  which  he  intended  to  shape  his  course.  These 
being  obtained,  a  caravel  was  dispatched  with  the  ostensible 
purpose  of  carrying  provisions  to  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands,  but 
with  private  instructions  to  pursue  the  designated  route.  The 
pilots,  alarmed  by  the  stormy  weather,  and  seeing  nothing  but 
an  immeasurable  waste  of  waters  before  them,  put  back,  ridicul- 


ing  the  project  of  Columbus  as  extravagant  and  visionary.  This 
unworthy  attempt  aroused  the  indignation  of  Columbus,  and  he 
refused  all  further  efforts  of  King  John  to  renew  negotiations. 
Towards  the  end  of  1484  he  left  Lisbon  privately,  fearing  that 
bis  creditors  might  prevent  his  departure,  the  grand  project 
which  he  had  in  view  having  reduced  him  to  the  verge  of  poverty. 

ISABELLA   THE    CATHOLIC. 

•ANCROFTLiBK/M 

Columbus  arrived  in  Spain  in  1485,  and  the  Duke  of  Medina 
Celi  wrote  to  Queen  Isabella  strongly  recommending  his  project 
to  her  attention.  She  was  in  her  own  right  Queen  of  Castile, 
and  shared  the  sovereignty  of  the  united  kingdom  of  Castile  and 
Arragonwith  her  husband  Ferdinand;  they  were  joint  sovereigns, 
and  Isabella  participated  in  the  labors  of  the  cabinet  and  was 
frequently  in  armor  on  the  field.  The  historians  of  her  age 
are  enthusiastic  in  their  eulogies  of  her  talents  and  virtues.  She 
possessed  wonderful  firmness  and  earnestness  of  spirit.  Her 
geniu^arid  grandeur  of  soul  inspired  the  chivalry  of  Spain  with 
lofty  ideas,  her  pious  example  exercised  a  benign  influence  on 
the  Court,  and  she  loved  her  people,  diligently  promoting  their 
welfare  by  her  wise  counsels.  She  appears  in  history  as  one  of 
the  purest  and  noblest  mentioned  in  its  pages.  Her  trials  and 
triumphs  made  her  life  the  romance  of  reality.  She  fostered  the 
art  of  printing  and  some  of  the  great  works  of  the  early  press 
were  published  under  her  auspices.  She  lavished  her  means  in 
promoting  letters  and  arts,  and  through  her  aid  Salamanca  rose 
to  the  height  which  it  assumed  in  that  age.  It  was  to  that  Uni 
versity  that  the  queen  referred  the  proposals  of  Columbus,  which 
were  debated  before  a  learned  commission  in  1486.  The  theory 
of  the  rotundity  of  the  earth  advanced  by  Columbus  was  opposed 
by  citations  drawn  from  the  writings  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church, 
passages  of  the  Bible,  and  the  epistles  of  SI.  Paul,  and  that 
it  was  impossible  we  could  have  antipodes.  But  the  argu 
ments  of  Columbus  had  made  a  favorable  impression  on  many  of  his 
auditors.  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were  now  actively  engaged  in 
campaigns  against  the  Moorish  Kingdom  of  Granada,  and  Colum 
bus  was  frequently  invited  to  attend  them,  but  he  was  never  able 
to  obtain  an  audience  from  the  sovereigns  in  reference  to  his  pro 
ject.  In  the  Fall  of  1490,  Columbus  received  a  reply  from  Fer 
dinand  declining  to  engage  in  the  enterprise  for  the  present,  but 


holding  out  hopes  of  support  when  relieved  from  the  cares  and 
expenses  of  war.  Disgusted  at  this  disappointment  he  left 
Seville,  indignant  at  having  lost  so  many  years  of  his  life  in  ex 
pecting  assistance  from  Princes.  He  was  now  reduced  to  extreme 
poverty,  and  so  pressing  were  his  needs  that  he  stopped  one  day 
at  the  Convent  of  Santa  Maria,  near  Palos  de  Moguer,  to  beg 
bread  and  water  for  himself  and  son  who  accompanied  him. 

THE    PRIOR    OF    SANTA     MARIA. 

While  receiving  this  miserable  fare  the  Prior  Juan  Perez  de  Mar- 
chena  happened  to  pass  by  and- was  pleased  with  the  noble  ap 
pearance  of  the  stranger.     The  Prior,  from  his  residence  near  an 
important  sea  port,  took  an  active  interest  in  maritime  affairs; 
he  was  a  man  of  extensive  learning  and  became  impressed  with 
the  conversation  of  Columbus.     Fearing  that  the  refusal  of  Fer 
dinand  might  lose  to  Spain  the  opportunity  of  greatness  by  re 
alizing  the  discovery  of  new  regions,  he  induced  Columbus  to 
remain  a  few  days  at  his  Convent  until  he  could  visit  Isabella, 
whose  confessor  he  had  been.     The  representations  of  the  Prior 
convinced  the  Queen  of  the  merits  of  the  project,  and  with  con 
siderate  kindness  she  bethought  herself  of  his  poverty  and  sent 
him   a  sum   of  money — twrenty   thousand  maravedies,  equal   to 
f'220  of  our  money,  to  buy  a  mule  for  his  journey  and  a  proper 
outfit  to  present  himself  at  Court.     He  arrived  at  Court  in  time  to 
witness  the   surrender  of  Granada,  and  to  see  the  last  of  the 
Moorish  Kings  sally  from  the  Alhambra.     Nearly  eight  hundred 
years  of  war  ended  by  restoring  a  large  portion  of  Spain  to  Chris 
tian  rule;  and  during  three  centuries  of  that  period,  the  Caliphs 
of  Cordova  exceeded  in  the  splendor  of  their  Court  that  of  their 
rivals  of  Bagdad.     There  was  in  the  crowd  that  flocked  to  congra 
tulate  their  sovereigns  one,  who,  in  a  very  short  period  was  des 
tined  to  give  to  Spain  the  finest  and  richest  regions  of  the  earth. 
The  war  being  over  negotiators  were   appointed   to  treat  with 
Columbus,  but  his  conditions  were  regarded  as  so  exorbitant  as 
to  be  declared  inadmissible,   and  in  February,  1492.  he  deter 
mined  to  abandon   Spain  immediately,  and  had  actually  made 
some  progress  on  his  journey  toward  France,  when  he  was  called 
back  by  a  special  courier.     The  day  before,  the  receiver  of  the 
ecclesiastical  revenue,  St.  Angel,  successfully  urged  Isabella  to 
aid  the  enterprise,  stating  the  advantages  that  would  redound  to 


[     9     1 


the  interests  of  religion  and  the  glory  of  Spain.  Ferdinand  ob 
jected  that  there  was  no  money  in  the  treasury.  Isabella  re 
plied  to  this:  "  I  will  undertake  the  enterprise  for  my  crown  of 
Castile,  and  will  pledge  my  jewels  to  raise  the  necessary  functe." 
That  noble  declaration  opened  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the 
world. 

THE    DEPARTURE. 

Capitulations  were  signed  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  April  17, 
1492,  and  Columbus  immediately  repaired  to  Palos,  with  the  royal 
mandate  to  secure  three  vessels  and  crews.     After  weeks  of  efforts, 
three  small  vessels  were  obtained,  many  of  the  crew  being  im 
pressed..    The  largest,  the  Santa  Maria,  was  decked  and  carried 
the  Admiral's  nag;  the  Pinta  and  the  Nina  were  only  partially 
decked,  and  the  entire  number  on  board  the  vessels  consisted  of 
J  20  persons.     The  largest  of  the  fleet  was  about  100  tons.     They 
left  the  port  of  Palos  on  Friday,  the  3d  of  August,  1492,  all 
having  previously  partaken  of  the  sacraments  and  committed 
themselves  to  the  special  guidance  and  protection  of  heaven. 
It  was  a  day  of  gloom  for  that  community  as  nearly  every  family 
had  a  friend  or  relative  in  the  expedition.     The  spirits  of  the 
seamen,  already  cast  down,  were  still  more  depressed  at  the 
affliction  of  those  they  left  behind,  who  took  leave  of  them  with 
tears  and  lamentations  as  if  they  were  embarking   never  to  re 
turn.     On  the  10th  of  August,  the  ships  arrived  at  the  Canary 
Islands  to   make  necessary   repairs  and  remained  there   three 
weeks.     He  then  set  sail  over  the  unknown   sea.     His  crew  as 
they  progressed  became  more  and  more  dissatisfied  and  were 
anxious  to  return.     Many  indications,  such  as  seeing  land-birds, 
sea-weed,  excited  temporary  confidence  that  they  were  nearing 
land,  and  sometimes  the  clouds  seemed  to   cover  well    defined 
traces  of  land.     But  as  they  sailed  on  these  disappeared  and  the 
crews  became  more  and  more  obstinate;  the  Pinzons  admirably 
sustained  Columbus,  and  prevented  mutiny,  and  at  last  on  the 
morning  of  Friday,  Oct.  12,  land  was  discerned  from  the  mast 
head  of  the  Pinta,  which  was  made  known  by  the  firing  of  a 
gun  from  that  vessel.      Sail  was  now  taken  in  and  the  dawn  im 
patiently  awaited.     They   arrived  at  the  island  now  called  San 
Salvador.     The  great  mystery  of  the   ocean  was  solved.     The 
theory  of  Columbus  was  established  !     In  ten  weeks,  after  leav 
ing  Spain,  the  sublime  achievement  to  which  he  had  devoted  his 


life  was  realized.  His  long  years  of  poverty,  anguish  and  hu- 
nfciliation  were  recompensed.  He  was  now  fifty-six  years  of  age 
and  the  realization  of  his  views  made  him  the  Viceroy  of  regions 
greater  than  had  ever  been  given  to  any  individual.  Landing- 
he  took  possession  of  the  island  in  the  name  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella;  and  with  imposing  religious  ceremonies  he  unfurled  the 
banner  of  Spain  which  we  see  now  floating  from  the  masthead 
of  the  Santa  Maria,  which  forms  a  feature  of  this  celebration. 
The  meeting  of  the  races  was  an  extraordinary  sight.  The  sim 
ple  Indians,  gazing  upon  the  commanding  and  venerable  person 
of  Columbus  and  his  mailed  followers,  believed  them  to  have  de 
scended  from  the  skies.  While  to  the  Europeans  the  natives 
were  the  objects  of  the  most  intense  curiosity  differing  as  they 
did  from  all  known  races  of  mankind. 

THE    RETURN. 

Columbus,  after  visiting  many  of  the  Islands  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  one  he  discovered,  left  on  the  4th  of  January,  1493,  for 
Spain.  For  a  few  days,  everything  was  favorable  to  a  safe  and 
speedy  voyage,  and  the  little  barks  sped  gaily  on  their  home 
ward  course.  But  soon  a  tempest  rose  and  the  vessels  almost 
foundered.  Nor  was  this  their  only  trial.  A  few  days  of  fail- 
weather  was  followed  by  a  storm  far  more  terrible  than  that 
which  they  had  before  encountered.  For  the  space  of  two  weeks 
they  were  driven  constantly  before  the  furious  winds.  The 
whole  crew  were  terrified  and  firmty  believed  their  last  hour  had 
come.  One  heart  however  never  quailed  in  all  the  long  war  of 
the  elements;  one  soul  alone,  trusting  in  the  power  of  the  Al 
mighty  to  stay  the  fury  of  the  tempest,  remained  in  the  vessels, — 
Columbus  firm  and  undaunted.  Prayers,  vows  and  supplications 
were  directed  to  Heaven,  that  the  storm  might  cease.  On  the 
17th  of  February,  after  seven  weeks  of  mingled  fear  and  hope 
land  was  seen.  It  proved  to  be  St.  Mary's,  one  of  the  Azores  Is 
lands,  and  Columbus  staid  there  four  days  to  perform  the  vows 
he  had  made,  and  to  refresh  his  tired  crews.  He  again  set  sail, 
but  when  a  short  distance  from  Portugal,  encountered  a  storm 
scarcely  less  fierce  than  the  last,  but  this  being  weathered  he  ar 
rived  at  Lisbon  on  the  4th  of  March,  1493.  He  immediately 
asked  permission  of  the  Portuguese  government  to  enter  that 
port.  When  the  tidings  reached  the  Court  of  the  arrival  of  Col- 


[  11  ] 

urabiiB  and  the  success  which  had  attended  his  efforts,  the  ex 
citement  almost  surpassed  all  conceivable  bounds.  The  King  of 
Portugal  prepared  a  magnificent  reception  to  his  honor,  and  when 
approaching  the  city  at  which  the  King  was,  Columbus  was  met 
by  an  immense  concourse  of  nobles  and  members  of  the  royal 
household.  Columbus  related  his  adventures  to  the  King  who 
attentively  listened  with  feeling  of  pleasure  and  regret.  But 
amidst  all  this  outward  show  of  friendship,  an  under  current  of 
animosity  concealed  by  this  pomp  and  grandeur  was  attempting 
to  destroy  the  fruit*  of  this  grand  discovery.  Columbus  was 
not  slow  to  perceive  this  and  hastened  his  departure.  He  set  sail 
for  Spain  on  the  13th  of  March,  and  arrived  in  the  port  of  Palos 
two  chiys  later,  after  an  absence  of  not  quite  seven  months  on 
fyie  most  remarkable  enterprise  which  had  ever  been  undertaken. 

HIS    RECEPTION. 

The  return  of  Columbus  to  Spain  with  proof  of  his  amazing  dis 
covery,  created  a  far  greater  state  of  excitement  than  that  wit 
nessed  in  Lisbon.  The  news  of  his  arrival  spread  with  almost 
the  speed  of  lightning.  Bonfires  blazed  from  every  eminence, 
bells  were  rung,  cannon  were  fired,  and  the  whole  populace  gave 
themselves  up  to  demonstrations  of  joy.  At  this  time  the  King 
and  Queen  were  at  Barcelona,  about  seven  hundred  miles  dis 
tant  from  Palos.  Columbus  was  immediately  ordered  to  repair 
thither.  His  journey  was  one  continued  ovation;  not  a  village, 
not  a  hamlet,  not  a  person,  but  came  forward  to  see  the  discov 
erer  of  the  Indies.  The  windows,  housetops,  balconies,  were 
always  filled  with  eager  thousands.,  striving  to  do  homage  to  this 
great  man.  Yet  amidst  all  this  grandeur  and  pomp,  the  heart  of 
Columbus  never  grew  proud.  He  remained  always  the  meek  and 
humble  man  he  had  been,  before  he  added  these  magnificent 
realms  to  the  domain  of  Spain.  At  length  he  reached  Barcelona. 
As  he  neared  that  city  an  immense  concourse  of  nobles  came 
forth  to  meet  him.  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  with  their  son 
Prince  John,  were  seated  beneath  a  silken  canopy  in  a  vast  sa- 
looii,  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  apartment  was  crowded 
with  the  grandees  of  the  realm.  As  Columbus  approached,  the 
sovereigns  did  him  the  honor  of  rising  and  inviting  him  to  a  seat 
at  their  side.  This  was  an  honor  conferred  on  persons  only  of 
highest  rank.  Columbus  desired  to  kiss  their  hands, to  which  with 


[    12    ] 

some  reluctance,  they  consented.  He  then  narrated  his  adven 
tures,  his  sufferings,  the  storms  and  dangers  which  they  had  en 
countered  and  their  happy  return.  He  showed  them  all  that  he 
had  brought  from  the  islands,  and  dwelt  particularly  on  the  great 
field  that  existed  in  the  New  World  for  missionary  labor.  At  the 
close  of  this  narration,  the  King  and  Queen,  and  the  whole  as 
sembly  with  one  accord,  fell  on  their  knees  and  raised  their 
voices  to  heaven  in  that  beautiful  anthem :  ' '  TE  DEUM  LAUDAMUS. 
Not  a  shout  of  joy  or  other  demonstration.  The  feelings  were 
too  great  for  expression.  As  Las  Casas  says:  "  The  souls  of  the 
auditors  in  that  solemn  hour  were  so  borne  up  to  Heaven,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  they  communicated  with  the  celestial  light." 

The  news  of  this  great  discovery  excited  the  profoundest  at 
tention  in  Europe.  In  Italy,  the  wildest  enthusiasm  prevailed, 
and  Genoa  was  justly  proud  of  the  achievements  of  her  son. 
Other  Italian  navigators,  the  Cabots,  Vespucci,  and  others,  soon 
followed  in  the  paths  of  maritime  discovery.  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  manifested  toward  Columbus  their  warmest  gratitude; 
showing  him  the  most  signal  marks  of  royal  favor,  even  allow 
ing  the  arms  of  Spain  to  be  quartered  on  his  shield,  with  this 

inscription : 

"  To  Castile  and  Leon, 
A  New  World  gave  Colon.'' 

And  Isabella  made  him  the  confidant  of  her  plans  for  the  pro 
tection  and  conversion  to  the  faith  of  the  native  population.  After 
a  sojourn  of  six  months,  occupied  in  making  preparations  on  a 
grand  scale,  in  September,  1493,  Columbus  sailed  from  Cadiz  on 
his  second  voyage,  with  17  ships  and  1500  men,  and  discovered 
several  large  islands;  but  his  enemies  in  Spain,  by  their  calum 
nies,  to  which  Ferdinand  was  too  willing  to  listen,  forced  him  to 
return  in  1496.  Having  cleared  himself  with  his  sovereigns  he, 
in  May,  1498,  set  out  on  his  third  expedition,  and  steering  more 
to  the  southward,  discovered  the  mouths  of  the  Oroiioco.  and 
landed  in  South  America,  at  a  place  now  forming  a  part  of  Vene 
zuela.  Returing  from  these  discoveries  he  sailed  for  Santo  Do 
mingo,  where,  on  arrival,  he  found  everything  in  disorder. 
Ferdinand,  crafty,  envious  and  suspicious,  had  again  listened  to 
calumnies  against  the  Admiral  and  had  appointed  an  officer  of  his 
household,  Bobadillo,  to  succeed  him  as  Governor,  who,  shortly 
after  his  arrival,  exceeding  his  powers,  put  him  in  prison,  seized  his 


[    13    ] 

papers,  and  sent  him  home  in  chains.  This  unworthy  treatment 
excited  the  indignation  of  the  Spanish  people.  With  rare  eloquence 
the  Admiral  related  his  wrongs  to  the  sovereigns;  Isabella  was  af 
fected  unto  tears,  and  Ferdinand  disavowed  all  knowledge  of  the 
disgraceful  affair;  but  he  refused  to  redress  the  grievances  of  which 
Columbus  had  so  long  complained.  But  calumnies,  disappoint 
ments,  and  injustice  could  not  crush  the  spirit  of  the  grand  old 
man.  He  had  not  yet  fully  realized  his  predictions.  On  the  9th 
of  May,  1502,  he  set  sail  from  Spain  with  four  vessels  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  to  seek  once  more  a  passage  uniting  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  The  mutinous  character  of  his 
crew,  however,  forced  him  aside  to  seek  for  gold,  and  after  many 
difficulties  and  disasters,  and  having  added  but  little  to  his  pre 
vious  discoveries,  he  returned  to  Spain  in  1504.  Isabella,  his 
protectress,  was  dead.  Washington  Irving  says  of  that  noble 
woman: .  "  She  Avas  one  of  the  purest  spirits  that  ever  ruled  over 
the  destinies  of  a  nation.  Had  she  been  spared,  her  benignant 
vigilance  might  have  prevented  many  a  scene  of  horror  in  the 
colonization  of  the  New  World,  and  might  have  softened  the  lot 
of  its  native  inhabitants." 

EOYAL    INGRATITUDE. 

After  her  death  Ferdinand  proved  basely  ungrateful;  and  the 
man  who  had  given  him  such  immense  territories,  broken  down 
by  exposure,  suffering  the  terrible  torments  of  the  gout,  and  in 
abject  poverty,  died  at  Val  lad  olid  ^  May  20,  1506.  His  dying 
words  were — "  Lord,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit!"  Death 
did  not  end  his  voyages.  His  remains  were  first  buried  in  the 
Convent  of  St.  Francis;  in  1513  they  were  transferred  to  Las 
Cuevas;  in  1536  they  were  escorted  by  a  royal  squadron  to  St. 
Domingo  and  deposited  in  the  cathedral  of  that  city;  when  the 
island  was  ceded  to  France,  the  remains,  amid  the  greatest  pomp, 
were  removed  in  1796  to  Havana,  where  they  now  repose. 

What  a  destiny  of  the  living  body  and  its  mortal  remains!  The 
former,  animated  by  a  noble  spirit,  four  times  crossed  the  ocean 
and  performed  the  greatest  achievement  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  time.  The  latter,  four  times  conducted  to  the  sepulchre,  it  is 
to  be  hoped  has  at  last  found  a  permanent  resting  place. 

As  this  address  is  nearly  ended,  permit  me  a  few  personal  re 
marks.  Frequently  in  Lisbon  I  visited  the  church  where  Colum- 


[    14    ] 

bus  was  married,  and  where  often  he  humbly  knelt  in  prayer, 
invoking  divine  grace  to  sustain  him  in  his  trials  and  tribulations., 
And  in  the  cathedral  of  Havana  I  have  paid  the  homage  of  my 
respect  to  his  memory,  by  kneeling  at  the  grand  altar  and  praying 
to  God  the  Merciful  for  the  eternal  happiness  of  his  Fiml.  Aud 
T  yet  cherish  the  hope  of  being  able  to  visit  the  land  that  gave 
him  birth- — Genoa  the  Beautiful — the  Republic  so  renowned  by 
the  sublime  achievements  of  her  sons. 

The  conclusion  of  this  address  will  be  the  character  of  Colum 
bus,  as  drawn  by  the  master  hand  of  Washington  Irving, 

THE    CHARACTER   OF    COLUMBUS. 

Sis  impetuous  ardor  threw  him  into  the  study  of  the  Fathers 
of  the  Church,  the  Arabian  Jews  atcl  the  ancient  geographers; 
while  his  daring  but  irregular  g'enius,  bursting  from  the  limits 
of  imperfect  science,  bore  him  to  conclusions  far  beyond,  the  in 
tellectual  vision  of  his  contemporaries.  If  some  of  his  conclu 
sions  were  erroneous,  they  were  at  least  ingenious  and  splendid  ; 
and  their  errors  resulted  from  the  clouds  which  still  hung  over 
his  peculiar  path  of  enterprise.  His  own  discoveries  enlightened 
the  ignorance  of  the  age,  guided  conjecture  to  certainty,  and 
dispelled  that  very  darkness  with  which  he  had  been  compelled 
to  struggle. 

In  the  progress  of  his  discoveries  he  has  been  remarked  for 
the  extreme  sagacity  and  the  admirable  justness  with  which  he 
seized  upon  the  phenomena' of  the  exterior  world.  The  varia 
tions,  for  instance,  of  terrestrial  magnetism,  the  direction  of  cur 
rents,  the  groupings  of  marine  plants,  fixing  one  of  the  grand 
climacteric  divisions  of  the  ocean,  the  temperature  changing., 
not  solely  with  the  distance  to  the  equator,  but  also  with  the  dif 
ference  of  meridians  :  these  and  similar  phenomena,  an  they 
broke  upon  him,  were  discerned  with  wonderful  quickness  of 
perception,  and  made  to  contribute  important  principles  to  the 
stock  of  general  knowledge.  This  lucidity  of  spirit,  this  quick 
convertibility  of  facts  to  principles,  distinguished  him  from  the 
dawn  to  the  close  of  his  sublime  enterprise,  insomuch  that,  with 
all  the  sallying  ardor  of  his  imagination,  his  ultimate  success  has 
been  admirably  characterized  as  a  "  conquest  of  reflection." 

And  he  thus  concludes  :  ' '  And  how  would  his  magnanimous 
spirit  have  been  consoled,  amidst  the  afflictions  of  age,  and  the 


[    15    ] 

cares  of  penury,  the  neglect  of  a  fickle  public,  and  the  injustice 
of  an  ungrateful  king,  could  he  have  anticipated  the  splendid 
empires  which  were  to  spread  over  the  beautiful  world  he  had 
discovered;  and  the  nations  and  tongues  and  languages  which 
were  to  fill  its  lands  with  his  renown  and  revere  and  bless  his 
name  to  the  latest  posterity." 


!' 


